This invention relates to fasteners and more particularly to a quick-acting fastener assembly for positively securing two members together.
In certain aerospace vehicles contemplated for orbital space flight, such as the Space Shuttle, numerous storage boxes must be included on board the vehicle to deliver various types of cargoes between the earth and an orbiting space station. These storage boxes must include a special type of fastener assembly for securing the cover of the box in a closed position while simultaneously meeting a number of other requirements. Included among these are the requirements that the fastener be self-actuatable without the need for any external tool, that the component parts of the fastener assembly not be loose and capable of rattling in an unsecured position, that there be a visible indication that the fastener is in a secured condition, and that the self-actuatable means used to engage the nut be positively stowed in a position which does not extend beyond the envelope of the door and the extent of the fastener when the cover is secured. The fastener must also include a continuous opening through its axis in order to allow a tool shank to be inserted through its center to secure another fastener at the rear of the box to mount the box to a wall. These and other requirements are met by the present invention.